Marcus van Klink has taken a dominant win in the Malcolm Stewart Classic rally, part of the Trusthouse Racetech Rally Wairarapa which was round two of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, powered by Brother.
Along with co-driver Dave Neill, van Klink came into the event looking to make up for the disappointment of last year when he retired from a comfortable lead after a broken axle. The pair made the perfect start, breaking their own two-wheel drive stage records on each of the opening three stages and equalling his stage record from last year on stage four and setting another record on stage five to enter the final loop of three stages with a lead more than four minutes.
The afternoon saw van Klink win the remaining three stages in the Mico Plumbing Supplies Mazda RX-7 Group B replica, including the day closing power stage that gave van Klink three bonus points towards the NZRC historic challenge. By days end, the lead in the Malcolm Stewart Classic rally had grown to just shy of five and a half minutes, while his NZRC lead topped seven minutes.
Day two saw van Klink again dominate, setting his fifth stage record of the weekend on stage ten and extending his lead by more than one and a half minutes after the days third stage.
The only mark on an otherwise perfect record for the weekend came on stage 13 when van Klink slid wide into a fence, pulling the flare and part of the rear wing off the left hand side of the car. But it didn’t slow the Cantabrian much as he extended his lead in both the NZRC Historic challenge and the Malcolm Stewart Classic Rally to a final margin of 11 minutes 20.3 seconds. Seventh outrigh also gave van Klink the unofficial title of top two-wheel drive car by 3 minutes 20 seconds.
“I don’t know what to say really, it was pretty much a perfect weekend,” said van Klink. “After last year I was pretty keen to get my hands on the Malcolm Stewart title so to do that is awesome.”
The win continues van Klink’s perfect start to the season with his lead in the NZRC now out to 37 points. He also leads the two-round Classic Challenge, which encompasses Wairarapa and the next NZRC round, Rally Otago, on May 25-27.
Press Release by BB Media
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